Tag: People

Understanding Your Blood Pressure

What is blood pressure? Blood pressure is the force of your blood against the walls of your arteries. Blood pressure consists of two number; a top and bottom number. The top number is the systolic pressure. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure.

Systolic blood pressure is the force of blood in your arteries as your heart beats. If your systolic number is higher than one hundred and forty you have high blood pressure. Even if your diastolic number is not high you can still have ‘isolated systolic hypertension.’ This means only your systolic number is high.

This is more common for older Americans. This pressure usually increases with age whereas diastolic pressure decreases after fifty-five. You might not know if you have isolated systolic hypertension so ask your doctor if you are concerned.

Diastolic blood pressure is the force of blood in your arteries when your heart relaxes between beats. For younger people this is a very important number. The higher this pressure is the more you are at risk. This blood pressure lowers as you get older and your systolic increases. Therefore diastolic is more important in younger people and systolic in older.

Normal blood pressure is less than one hundred and twenty over less than eighty. If your pressure is between the normal numbers and one hundred and thirty-nine over eighty-nine, you have what is called prehypertension. This puts you at risk to develop high blood pressure in the future but it easily preventable.

Hypertension is a name for high blood pressure. Having high blood pressure puts you at risk for heart disease or even strokes. High blood pressure makes your heart work harder than it should and can lead to blindness, kidney disease and even congestive heart failure.

According to statistics high blood pressure killed over fifty-four thousand people in 2004. Statistics also show that twenty-eight percent of people have high blood pressure and aren’t even aware of it. Are you one of them?

You should be aware of the risks of high blood pressure so you can avoid them as best as you can. High blood pressure is a risk for stroke and heart disease. While some risks can be altered or fixed, some cannot. For instance if you use tobacco or are overweight you are at risk for high blood pressure.

You can easily fix this by trying to quit using tobacco and watching your diet to help lose weight. If you have trouble doing either of these on your own, consult your physician. They may be able to prescribe you something or give you useful information to help.

High blood pressure can affect certain parts of your body as well. You might suffer from a stroke. This happens because the high blood pressure can break a weak blood vessel leaving it to bleed into the brain. Also if you have a blood clot blocking a narrow artery, you can also experience a stroke.

Sometimes impaired vision or blindness can occur from high blood pressure. It might eventually cause your blood vessels in your eye to bleed or burst leaving you with blurred or impaired vision.

Your arteries harden as you age, even more so for those in your heart, brain and kidneys. These harder arteries are associated with high blood pressure. When this happens your kidneys and heart have to work harder.

If you have any questions or concerns about your blood pressure ask your doctor. They can answer any questions you might have and find a solution if you do in fact have high blood pressure or might be prone to it. It’s never too late to take care of your body, including your blood pressure.

The Benefits of Physiotherapy for Amputee Rehabilitation

Losing a limb is a devastating blow for anyone. It requires a team of professionals to make the adjustment to life without the limb. A physician, a prosthetist, nurses, and a psychologist are all needed. Add to that list a physiotherapy service, which will help with amputee rehabilitation.

The benefits of physiotherapy for amputee rehabilitation are numerous. For one, amputees will need help in overcoming phantom pains. These are pains where the limb used to be. The sensation really is in the nerve that would lead to that limb if it were still there. Physiotherapy can use its own techniques to treat this pain.

Most amputees will be getting a prosthetic limb. Some feel that it should be enough to learn how to put it on. It is not an automatic thing to get used to a prosthetic limb. Many patients have them for years without ever having normal functioning with them. This is one reason amputee rehabilitation is so important.

Physiotherapy can benefit amputee rehabilitation by gradually getting the patient accustomed to using a prosthetic limb. The physiotherapy plan for this will be based upon the needs and abilities of the patient.

The patient will probably need help during amputee rehabilitation to learn balance all over again. This is especially true is the affected limb is a foot or leg. However, having an arm that is of a different weight than the other may be unbalancing as well. Physiotherapy can help with these problems too.

One thing people going through amputee rehabilitation need to realize is that gait is a good deal of the battle. If one walks correctly, people will not even be able to detect one’s limp, even with a prosthetic leg. This skill can be learned from physiotherapists.

If a patient has waited a long while before seeking physiotherapy after surgery, a problem may arise. Certain muscles may become overdeveloped and others weakened. This happens because, without proper amputee rehabilitation, the patient relies on one set of muscles to the exclusion of others. A proper plan of physiotherapy can address this issue.

People who have lost a limb will need an individualized exercise program. Physiotherapy can provide such a program during amputee rehabilitation. This will take into account the different movements needed by amputees to perform normal exercises.

Manual therapies, such as massage, are a part of amputee rehabilitation with physiotherapy. This can relieve much pain and tension in the muscles that are overworked in getting used to their new situation. Other treatments can be used. Some of them are heat, acupuncture, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation.

There is a need for physiotherapy in amputee rehabilitation that no other discipline can fill. It is a basic kind of help that anyone who has lost a limb can use. Some amputees decline treatment because they do not think it is necessary. Others feel overwhelmed by their loss. If there is a way to convince amputees to get physiotherapy to help them with their rehabilitation, they will find recovery a much smoother path.

Where to Buy Essential Oils

The use of essential oils is an interesting topic. If you decide that you want to begin using them, you might have trouble finding them. You may need a bit of help determining where to buy your essential oils. After all, you won’t find bottles of essential oils on the shelves of your grocery store or your local discount store. At least, if you do, they won’t be of good enough quality to use. If you are living in a city, or even in a health-conscious town, you might have other choices locally.

There are stores that cater to aromatherapy practitioners who use essential oils. These store-owners will be glad to sell to people who wish to try small amounts of the oils, as well. One advantage of dealing with someone locally is that you get to sample the products or at least see the condition of the bottles before you buy. If they are covered with dust, you might suspect that the essential oils are old. They might have lost some of their potency.

If you have no such stores near you, you will probably have to buy from a catalog or an internet company. The problem with catalogs is that it is often difficult to get good customer service from a company that deals primarily through catalog sales. However, there is often a good variety of essential oils to be found in catalogs.

Internet companies, on the other hand, usually have staff devoted to handling customer questions and complaints. Many of these companies give detailed information on how the essential oils are used. Some companies help you to identify your particular complaints and tell you which essential oils work best for them. Furthermore, these companies often will focus on safety issues. For example, they might steer you away from essential oils that interfere with medications you are currently taking.

Local, catalog, and internet companies may all try to sell you blends of essential oils. These can be very effective, but it is important to know what exactly you are getting. Internet companies are notorious for selling blends without explaining their ingredients. However, if you bother to ask the question, you can usually find out.

If you are going to the internet anyway, take the time to comparison shop. Notice the differences in the descriptions of the essential oils. Do they claim to be therapeutic grade? Look also at the prices. Look for higher prices for more exotic essential oils. If not, something is wrong. Also, some internet and catalog vendors give different types of discounts. Some are seasonal sales. Sometimes, you can get free shipping if you order a certain amount of the essential oils. Note these price reductions and take them into account when choosing your vendor.

Buying essential oils requires some thought and study. You should never rely totally on the information given to you by a seller of essential oils. After all, they want to make money like anyone else. However, if you research carefully, you should find a good place to buy your essential oils.

The Effect of The Glycemic Index on The Body

The Glycemic Index was discovered in 1981. It determines the rates of how different carbohydrates effect the body. The Glycemic Index is especially important to those who suffer from diabetes who need to watch their blood glucose. Diabetes have a difficult time breaking down glucose found in many carbohydrates and digesting them normally. This causes kidney and sometimes liver damage The effect of the glycemic index on the body is that it allows people to know which carbohydrates are the ones that can cause the most damage and those that break down easily in the system. The effect of the glycemic index on the body is crucial to anyone who wants to monitor their blood glucose level.

For example, certain foods, such as vegetables and fruits, with the exception of the potato, can be good glycemic foods. They are low on the glycemic index and tend to take a long time to break down in the body, giving the system plenty of time to absorb the sugars and eliminate them without causing too much damage to the body. Other good glycemic foods include whole wheat pastas and certain types of rice. There are many excellent whole wheat pastas on the market today that make a wonderful substitute for traditional pastas that are made from white flour.

By being aware of the glycemic ratings, the effect of the Glycemic Index on the body can also assist a person who wants to avoid those carbohydrates that absorb quickly into the system and are the most difficult to digest. These include white breads, refined sugars, baked potatoes, rice, items made with white flour. By understanding he ratings of these carbohydrates, a diabetic can be educated to know the effect of the glycemic index on the body.

Years ago, people with diabetes would simply be told to avoid carbohydrates. It was not until 1981 when the medical community began rating different carbohydrates as to their impact on the system. It became apparent to medical researches that certain carbohydrates absorbed quickly into the system and others absorbed more naturally and were more desirable alternatives to the high-rated carbohydrates. By 1981, the medical community was discovering he effect of the glycemic index on the body not only pertaining to diabetics, but to others as well. The effect of the glycemic index on the body gave birth to some very popular low-carb diets such as The South Beach Diet and other diets that monitored carbohydrate ratings.

The effect of the glycemic index on the body can assist a person who is watching his or her carbohydrates, either due to diabetes or a diet, to determine which carbohydrates are more dangerous for their body than others. A person who has been diagnosed with diabetes should familiarize him or her self with the Glycemic Index as soon as possible.

Diabetes can be controlled by a healthy diet. By learning about the Glycemic Index, one can empower themselves to learn which foods should be avoided and which foods can be beneficial to their health. All individuals can benefit from the Glycemic Index, but this information is particularly invaluable to someone with diabetes.